Lucy's reasons behind singing the song are very different to Katniss Everdeen's. Lucy sang it for her lover, to perform, and as a message for escaping District 12. Katniss sang it as a fighter to spur on the rebellion, and her version of “The Hanging Tree” is much rawer to reflect this.
Over the course of the trilogy Katniss sings two songs that Lucy Gray sings in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes — “The Meadow Song” and “The Hanging Tree.” The latter was written by Lucy Gray herself.
According to Haymitch Abernathy, the song was the first memory Peeta associated with Katniss that did not trigger a "mental breakdown" after the Capitol propagandized him. After realizing this, Katniss uses "The Hanging Tree" as a remedy for Peeta's "Capitol-implanted hatred".
Is Lucy Gray Baird Related To Katniss Everdeen In Hunger Games? The Hunger Games franchise has never confirmed that Lucy Gray and Katniss are related, despite speculation. The ending of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes leaves open the possibility that Lucy Gray and Katniss are related.
In the book, readers find out that Lucy Gray (Rachel Zegler) was the original writer of 'The Hanging Tree', penning the song after witnessing the murder of a man named Arlo Chance, who is hanged at the tree where the executions take place. She's later asked not to perform it.
Katniss Sings 'The Hanging Tree' | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Why do Katniss and Lucy Gray sing the same song?
Lucy wrote "The Hanging Tree" to be performed, which explains the differences in the two versions. Katniss sings it as a rebellion anthem, while Lucy's version has backing music and a performative style.
Summary. Coriolanus Snow genuinely believed he loved Lucy Gray, but his possessive and jealous tendencies cast doubts on the authenticity of his love. Snow's possessiveness extended to other people he loved, such as his cousin Tigris, demonstrating a dangerous and possessive pattern in his relationships.
"I've heard both theories," "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" director Francis Lawrence told Business Insider. "Lucy Gray, I can say, is definitely not a relative of Katniss."
While they were walking away from District 12 making their escape, Coriolanus made a comment about having killed three people. Lucy Gray quickly did the math and realized that she had only known about two of them, and that Coriolanus had been lying to her, sowing doubt in her mind about him and their plan.
The relationship between Gale and Prim takes a morbid turn when the bomb that killed Prim resembles the ones Gale designed, raising suspicions of his involvement. Gale's potential romance with Prim's sister, Katniss, is ultimately severed as she cannot reconcile his ruthlessness and his potential role in Prim's death.
Any relation between Katniss and the Covey is unconfirmed, but similarities in values and personal history are undeniable. The character of Maude Ivory is introduced and revealed to be not only Covey, but Lucy Gray's cousin in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The scene at the end of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the second time Lucy Gray mentions Katniss. Of course, she was referring to the plant rather than the person, as it would be many years before Katniss Everdeen was born, long after Lucy Gray disappeared in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Katniss is rendered deaf in one ear after she blows up the Careers' supplies, and she doesn't regain any hearing on her left side until afterwards when the Capitol gives her a hearing aid.
The actor, whose knowledge of the franchise is extensive, also points out that Katniss will have likely never known about Lucy Gray. "She's not aware that there was ever a female victor from District 12," she explains.
He'll never know, because Lucy Gray disappears forever, a loose end that will drive him mad. When Katniss appears decades later, also from District 12 and with a knack for singing, she already reminds Snow of his lost love.
Collins says that while Lucy isn't mentioned by name in Hunger Games, she is responsible for bringing entertainment to the Hunger Games, and her legacy lives on through her songs like "The Hanging Tree" and "Deep in the Meadow."
What happened to Lucy Gray after the Hunger Games?
Both the book and movie leave Lucy Gray's ending quite ambiguous. Dean of the Academy Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) underscores that point to Snow in the final moments of the film, confirming that she's simply vanished without a trace. Dr. Gaul even wipes all the video footage of Lucy Gray's games.
What happened to Lucy Gray Baird after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
In the book and the movie, Lucy Gray's fate is never confirmed. It's possible that she could have been wounded or even killed by a bullet, considering Coriolanus's frantic firing at the last location she had presumably been at.
With that said, there's also nothing revealed about who President Coin is descended from or much about her personal life. Due to this, any connections between Alma Coin and Lucy Gray Baird are merely speculation.
"The Hanging Tree" has a brief backstory in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It was one of many songs composed by Lucy Gray Baird, and it was written about the execution of Arlo Chance at the real hanging tree. The song was banned by Commander Hoff, who considered it rebellious.
After watching the film, viewers can infer that these words are about Lucy Gray and her effect on Coryo. After all, his love for her makes him vulnerable and momentarily causes him to deviate from his goals.
Volumnia Gaul, the Head Gamemaker of the Hunger Games, erased all of the evidence of Lucy Gray and the 10th Hunger Games. She only kept one copy of the games for herself. She did this because she felt that this set of games made the Capitol look weak and, therefore, she wanted all of Panem to forget about it.
When a concerned Snow searches for her, he finds the shawl he gifted Lucy Gray tossed on the ground, hiding a snake that bites him. Snow snaps. Paranoid and convinced his crush wants to kill him, Snow hunts Lucy Gray through the woods with a gun, shoots at her, and seemingly hits his mark as we see her stumble.
